Automobile luggage carrier



means for joining the upper ends of said strut members to said upper rail,

means for joining the lower end of each said strut member to said lower rail,

said upper and lower side rails having a different curvature prior to assembly such that when the side rail assemblies are assembled, the side rails are under tension,

a plurality of longitudinally spaced transversely extending cross members,

means for joining the ends of said cross members to said lower side rails,

and at least one end rail extending transversely across opposed upper side rails,

each said upper side rail having a longitudinally extending generally inwardly facing slot therein,

the sides of said slot formed with longitudinally extending ribs defining threads for engagement by screws,

each said upper side rail having a shoulder thereon,

said end rail being provided with a complementary longitudinally extending surface at each end thereof for engaging said shoulders,

screws journalled in the ends of said end rails and adapted to be threaded into said slots in said upper side rails,

whereby said end rails can be removed by loosening said screws, lifting the end rail and moving it to a longitudinally spaced point on said upper side rails to engage said surface with said shoulder and thereafter threading said screws inwardly into engagement with the ribs of said slot.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein each said upper side rail has an inverted U-shaped cross section.

4. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein each said lower side rail is generally C-shaped in cross section.

5. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for joining the upper ends of said strut members to said upper rail comprises a plurality of inwardly spaced downwardly extending longitudinal flanges on each said upper side rail defining slots,

each said strut member having ribs in the upper end thereby slidingly engaging said slots.

6. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said means joining the lower end of each said strutmember to said lower side rail comprises an upwardly facing slot in each said lower side rail,

each said strut member extending downwardly into said slots,

and means extending laterally through said lower side rail and through said strut member to lock said strut member relative to said lower side rail.

7. In a car top luggage carrier, the combination comprising a pair of side rail assemblies,

each said side rail assembly comprising an upper side rail,

stanchions at the ends of the upper side rails,

means connecting the ends of said side rails to said stanchions,

and at least one end rail extending transversely across opposed upper side rails,

each said upper side rail having a longitudinally extending generally inwardly facing slot therein,

the sides of said slot formed with longitudinally extending ribs defining threads for engagement by screws,

each said upper side rail having a shoulder thereon,

each said end rail being provided with a complementary longitudinally extending surface at each end thereof for engaging said shoulder,

screws journalled in the ends of said end rails and adapted to be threaded into said slots in said upper side rails,

whereby said end rails can be removed by loosening said screws, lifting the end rail to engage said surface with said shoulder and moving it to a longitudinally spaced point on said upper side rails and thereafter threading said screws inwardly into engagement with the ribs of said slot.

8. In a car top luggage carrier, the combination comprising a pair of side rail assemblies,

each said side rail assembly comprising a lower extruded side rail,

a separate upper extruded side rail having an inverted U-shaped cross section,

stanchions at the ends of the upper and lower side rails,

means connecting the ends of said side rails to said stanchions,

a plurality of separate strut members extending between said upper and lower side rails at longitudinally spaced points therealong,

each said upper side rail including a plurality of inwardly spaced longitudinally extending flanges,

each said strut member having ribs in the upper end thereby slidingly engaging said flanges,

means for joining the lower end. of each said strut member to said lower rail,

a plurality of longitudinallyspaced transversely extending cross members,

means for joining the ends of said cross members to said lower side rails,

and at least one end rail extending transversely across opposed upper side rails,

each said upper side rail having a longitudinally extending generally inwardly facing slot therein,

the sides of said slot formed with longitudinally extending ribs defining threads for engagement by screws,

each said upper side rail having a shoulder thereon,

each said end rail being provided with a complementary longitudinally extending surface on each end thereof for engaging said houlder,

screws journalled in the ends of said end rails and adapted to be threaded into said slots in said upper side rails,

whereby said end rails can be removed by loosening said screws, lifting the end rail and moving it to a longitudinally spaced point on said upper side rails and thereafter threading said screws inwardly into engagement with the ribs of said slot.

9. The combination set forth in claim 8 wherein said means joining the lower end of each said strut member to said lower side rail includes an upwardly facing slot in each said lower side rail,

each said strut member extending downwardly into said slots, v

and means extending laterally through saidlower side rail and through said strut member to lock said strut member longitudinally relative to said lower side rail.

10. In a car top luggage carrier, a side rail assembly comprising an extruded lower side rail,

a separately extruded upper side rail,

stanchion at the ends of the upper and lower side rails,

means connecting the ends of said stanchions,

a plurality of separate strut members extending between said upper and lower side rails at longitudinally spaced points therealong,

each said upper side rail including a plurality of inwardly spaced longitudinally extending flanges,

each said strut member having ribs in the upper end thereby slidingly engaging said flanges,

means for joining the lower end of each said strut member to said lower rail.

side rails to said June 13, 1967 F. A. HELM AUTOMOBILE LUGGAGE CARRIER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 14, 19 65 FIG-5.3

PIC-3.8

. INVENTOR FREDERICK A HELM ATTORNEYS Filed April 14, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5- June. 13, 1967 F. A. HELM 3,325,068

AUTOMOBILE LUGGAGE CARRIER FIGJI Til 25 FIG.9

INVENTOR FREDERICK A. HIELM ATTORNEYS June 13, 1967 F. A. HELM 3,325,068

AUTOMOBILE LUGGAGE CARRIER Filed April 14, 1965 5 $hets-$heet 4 '70 FIG. l2

INVENTOR. FREDERICK A. HELM AT TORNEVS F. A. HELM June 13, 1967 AUTOMOBILE LUGGAGE CARR IER 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed April 14, 1965 INVENTOR FREDERICK A. HELM A r TORNEVS United States Fatent O 3,325,068 AUTOMOBILE LUGGAGE CARRIER Frederick A. Helm, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Helm Design & Manufacturing, Inc., Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Apr. 14, 1965, Ser. No. 448,182 4 Claims. (Cl. 224--42.1)

This invention relates to automobile luggage carriers and particularly to small automobile luggage carriers which can be utilized on station wagons, the rear trunk deck of conventional size cars or on the roof of smaller cars.

It is an object of this invention to provide an automobile luggage carrier which can be used on station wagons, the trunk lid of conventional size cars or on the roof of smaller cars; which is rigid and strong; which is low in cost; and which is neat and pleasing in appearance.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile luggage carrier embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a part-sectional fragmentary side view on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an end view of a portion of the carrier shown in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are end views of modified forms of cross members utilized in the luggage carrier.

FIG. 9 is an end view of the luggage carrier.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-1ll in FIG. 3.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line 1111 in FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 3 of a modified form of luggage carrier.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 13-43 in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is an end view of a removable projection utilized in the carrier shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 15-15 in FIG. 12.

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 13.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of the removable projection shown in FIG. 14.

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary view taken along the line 18-18 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 19 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a strap mounting for the luggage carrier.

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary plan view of the strap mounting shown in FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 21-21 in FIG. 10.

Referring to FIG. 1, the luggage carrier embodying the invention is adapted to be mounted on the roof of a station wagon, on the rear trunk lid of a conventional size car or on the roof of a smaller size car and comprises integral die cast end assemblies 20 connected by upper and lower side rails 21, 22 extending between the ends thereof and cross members 23. When mounted on the rear trunk lid, the end members 20 extend forwardly and rearwardly. When mounted on a top of a station wagon or a smaller size car, the end members 20 face the side.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, each end assembly 20 comprises an upper rail 24, a lower rail 25 and central struts 26 and end struts 27 extending between the upper rail 24 and the lower rail 25. The entire unit is cast in one piece.

As shown in FIG. 11, the upper and lower rails 24,

25 are generally C-shaped in cross section and face with the curve or bulge portion thereof outwardly. A decorative plate 28 bearing medallions and the like may be cast integrally between the struts 26. A portion of lower rail 25 is preferably cut away at the area of medallion 28.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, each end assembly 20 is formed with integral hollow extensions 30, 31 adjacent the upper and lower ends of the struts 27 over which the side rails 21, 22 are telescoped and held in position by screws 32, 33. To facilitate insertion of the rails, the ends of the extensions 30, 31 are tapered as at 34. The cross section of the extensions 30, 31 is preferably oval as shown in FIG. 6.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 10, each of the lower rail portions 25 is formed with longitudinally spaced integral extensions 35 that extend inwardly toward the opposite end member 20. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the extensions 35 include a flat top surface 36, inclined flat side surfaces 37 extending downwardly from the edges of the fiat surface 36, curved lower surfaces 38 extending from the lower edge of the inclined surfaces 37 and flat upwardly and inwardly extending surfaces 39 extending from the lower edge of the surfaces 38. The central inner portion of each projection is recessed as at 40.

Each cross member 23 is telescoped over opposed projections 35 and held in position by screws 41 threaded upwardly from recess 40 through the projection 35 and into the cross member 23. Extending between the lower side rails 22, a resilient insulating strip 23a may be provided and engages the car top or trunk lid (FIG. 21).

As shown in FIG. 3, the cross member 23 is generally channel shaped and includes a Hat top 42a which engages surface 36, inclined sides 4212 which are spaced from the surfaces 37, vertical sides 420 that engage the surfaces 38 and inwardly extending flanges 43 that engage the surfaces 38.

The shape of the projections 35 permits cross rails of different cross sections to be used on the same projection. For example, an extruded cross rail 45, as shown in FIG. 6, may be used which has an internal configuration including a fiat surface 46, inclined surfaces 47, curved surfaces 48 and flanges 49 so that it is telescoped and makes contact with the surfaces 36 and 38 of the projection 35. At the same time, the exterior configuration of cross member 45 is substantially different in appearance having a ribbed surface.

Alternately, extruded cross member 50, shown in FIG. 7, may be used, which has a different exterior appearance and an internal configuration including flat surface 51, inclined surfaces 52, straight surfaces 53 and flanges 54. This telescopes over the projection 35 and makes contact with the surfaces 36 and 38 of the projection 35.

A further type of cross member 55 is shown in FIG. 8 and is made of sheet metal and includes an inwardly curved concave surface 56, a vertical surface 57 and flanges 58 so that in this form, when the cross member 55 is telescoped over the projection 35, contact is made with the surfaces 37 and 38 of the projection 35.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 10, each end member 28 is also formed with bosses 68 adjacent the end struts 27 having a threaded opening 61 for receiving a screw 62 that supports an L-shaped bracket 63. Screws 64 are threaded downwardly through the bracket 63 into the car top or trunk lid panel P to retain the automobile luggage carrier in position.

In order to accommodate the mounting of the carrier on car tops or trunk lid panels which have a curvature, the modified form of the invention such as shown in FIGS. 12-16 can be used and comprises end assemblies 70 which include an upper rail 71, a lower rail 72 and central struts (not shown) and end struts '73. However, instead of having integral hollow extensions 30, 31, each end assembly 71 is provided with removable hollow extensions 74, 75. Removable extensions 74, 75 are substantially identical in construction and include a flat end surface 76 (FIGS. 14, 17) which is adapted to abut against a corresponding surface 77 on the end assembly 70. The outer surface 78 of each extension is generally oval. In order to hold each extension in position, projections 79 are provided and extend into complementary recesses 80. A screw 81 is threaded through surface 76 into an opening 82. It can be seen that the angle which each extension 74, 75 makes with respect to the end assembly 70 depends upon the surface 7611. By having removable extensions 74, 75 with end surfaces 76a at varying angles to the axis of the openings 82 the angle of the extensions can be changed and as a result the end rails and struts which are placed over the removable extensions 74, 75 can more nearly accommodate variations in the curvature of the luggage carrier.

Instead of utilizing the mounting bracket 63 shown in FIGS. 3, 10, and 18 to mount the carrier, a strap assembly can be used as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. As shown, the lower rail 25 of each end assembly is arcuate in cross section and a bracket 85 having a hook 86 thereon can be engaged with the rail 25 at various positions along the length of the carrier. Bracket 85 includes an upstanding flange 87 at the other end thereof into which a screw 88 is threaded. The screw 88 has an enlarged head 89 that abuts the sides of an opening in a bracket 90. The bracket is in turn engaged with one of a plurality of openings 91 in a strap 92. The lower end of the strap has a hook member 93 fastened thereto by a rivet 94 and engaging the drain trough E of the car top. A locking tab 95 projects downwardly from a plate 96 held in position by a screw 97 into the end of trough E to positively lock the strap. A plastic or rubber sleeve 98 can be provided over the strap to prevent scratching of the car top.

By the above arrangement, the strap can be engaged with the car top carrier at various points along the end of the assemblies 20 or 75.

It can thus be seen that there has been provided an automobile luggage carrier which is rigid and compact; which can be used on the trunk lid of conventional size automobiles or on the roof of smaller size automobiles; which is simple in construction and low in cost.

I claim:

1. In an automobile luggage carrier, the combination comprising a pair of end assemblies,

cross members extending between said assemblies,

and upper and lower side rails extending between the ends of said end assemblies,

the cross section of each said upper and lower end rail being generally C-shaped with the convex surface facing outwardly,

each said end assembly including an upper rail, a lower rail, and a plurality of longitudinally spaced struts extending between said rails,

said lower rails having inwardly extending projections extending toward the opposite end assembly,

each said projection having an upper generally fiat surface,

downwardly inclined surfaces extending from the sides of said upper surface,

an enlarged curved surface extending from the outer edges of said inclined surfaces,

each said cross member having an internal configuration such that said cross member engages said curved surfaces of said projection and at least one of said inclined surfaces and said flat upper surface of said projection,

each said end assembly including extensions extending from the upper and lower portions of the ends thereof 7 toward the opposite end assembly,

each said side rail being hollow and telescoped over opposed extensions.

2. In an automobile luggage carrier, the combination comprising a pair of integral end assemblies,

cross members extending between said assemblies,

and upper and lower side rails extending between the ends of said end assemblies,

each said end assembly including an upper rail, a lower rail, and a plurality of longitudinally spaced struts extending between said rails,

said lower rails having integral inwardly extending projections extending toward the opposite end assembly,

each said cross member being generally channel shaped in cross section and telescoped over opposed projections,

each said end assembly including removable extensions extending from the upper and lower portions of the ends thereof toward the opposite end assembly,

each said side rail being hollow and telescoped over opposed extensions,

each said removable extension having a surface thereon engaging its respective end assembly and thereby angularly locating said removable extension relative to its respective end assembly.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein each said extension is removable and has a surface thereon engaging its respective end assembly and thereby angularly locating said removable extension relative to its respective end assembly.

4. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein each said projection has an upper generally flat surface,

downwardly inclined surfaces extending from the sides of said upper surface,

an enlarged curved surface extending from the outer edges of said inclined surfaces,

each said cross portion having an internal configuration such that said cross member engages said curved surfaces of said projection and at least one of said inclined surfaces and said upper surface of said projection.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1965 Genthe 224-421 5/1966 Bott 22442.1

FOREIGN PATENTS GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

I. E. OLDS, Assistant Examiner. 

2. IN AN AUTOMOBILE LUGGAGE CARRIER, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A PAIR OF INTEGRAL END ASSEMBLIES, CROSS MEMBERS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID ASSEMBLIES, AND UPPER AND LOWER SIDE RAILS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID END ASSEMBLIES, EACH SAID END ASSEMBLY INCLUDING AN UPPER RAIL, A LOWER RAIL, AND A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED STRUTS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID RAILS, SAID LOWER RAILS HAVING INTEGRAL INWARDLY EXTENDING PROJECTIONS EXTENDING TOWARD THE OPPOSITE END ASSEMBLY, EACH SAID CROSS MEMBER BEING GENERALLY CHANNEL SHAPED IN CROSS SECTION AND TELESCOPED OVER OPPOSED PROJECTIONS, 